Groundwater authority showcases public data portal and monitoring network at workshop

The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority on Tuesday demonstrated its data management system and described an expanded monitoring program meant to make groundwater information more accessible to residents.

April, the GA general manager, opened the public workshop and introduced the technical team before turning the presentation over to Stefan Bourke, the GA's senior hydrogeologist with Stson Engineers. Bourke said the Authority collects four main types of data: hourly weather and precipitation from roughly a dozen stations, streamflow via pressure transducers at two gauging stations, an annual groundwater-quality sampling program from a 12-well sentinel network, and semiannual depth-to-water measurements from a monitoring network that has about 185 active wells.

"We measure those wells twice a year," Bourke said, describing the well program and tools used in the field. He noted many wells now have data loggers and telemetry that upload hourly readings to the GA system so water-level changes can be tracked in near real time.

Joel Bernard, the GA's data management system manager, demonstrated the authority's public website (iwvgsp.com). Bernard showed the GSP dashboard, an interactive map layer with well locations, and individual well pages that display hydrographs and historic records. "Clicking on the map interface, you're presented with a ... map frame that covers the entire basin," he said while walking the audience through telemetry and the document library.

Presenters emphasized that some monitored wells are owned by other agencies but that data are consolidated in the GA's system. Steve Johnson, the Authority's water resources manager, explained the GA coordinates semiannual measurements with partners including Kern County Water Agency and the Navy. In response to residents' questions, staff said the GA does not "own" all wells in its portfolio but is responsible for collecting and aggregating monitoring data from about 27 wells in its direct monitoring list, plus data shared by Kern County (about 73 wells) and the Navy (about 65 wells).

Why it matters: Consolidated, time-stamped data and telemetry make it easier for residents, water managers and modelers to monitor seasonal trends, detect rapid changes and evaluate the groundwater sustainability plan (GSP). Workshop participants requested additional datasets be linked in the library, including evapotranspiration products and InSAR subsidence maps, to better interpret long-term change.

The Authority said the DMS hosts the GSP dashboard, hydrographs and downloadable technical reports. Bernard encouraged attendees to use the public portal and to email questions through the GA contact page.

The workshop continued with technical briefings on airborne electromagnetic surveys and model updates; the GA said the presentations and slides will be posted to the DMS site for later review.